My previous column discussed drought and the history of droughts on the Prairies and the northern U.S. Plains over the last 100 years. This column will discuss nutrient management in drought scenarios. We will look at this topic through the lens of 4-R nutrient stewardship; right rate, right place, right time, right source. The first […] Read more
Thom Weir
Stories by Thom Weir
Putting this year’s drought into a prairie perspective
I recall sitting in a room in the John Mitchell building on the University of Saskatchewan campus. First day in a soil fertility class. The professor walked in and said, “just remember, the most limiting nutrient in crop production in Saskatchewan is water.” as he scrawled H20 under the heading “Key Nutrients”. OK, let’s talk […] Read more
Looks like a good year to put on the pounds for protein
I was talking to a crop consultant this week in western Kansas. Harvest is underway in that area and he indicated he was seeing protein coming in lower than anticipated, as well as lower than normal. Farmers in Western Canada and the United States northern Great Plains can use this as a signal that protein […] Read more
How to put on the pounds for protein
It might be the year to add some protein to those wheat crops, as it appears that the U.S. might coming up short
I was talking to a crop consultant this week in western Kansas. Harvest is underway in that area and he indicated he was seeing protein coming in lower than anticipated, as well as lower than normal. Farmers in Western Canada and the United States northern Great Plains can use this as a signal that protein […] Read more
Looks like a good year to put on the pounds for protein
I was talking to a crop consultant this week in western Kansas. Harvest is underway in that area and he indicated he was seeing protein coming in lower than anticipated, as well as lower than normal. Farmers in Western Canada and the United States northern Great Plains can use this as a signal that protein […] Read more
Kochia becomes major problem across Western Canada
A couple of years ago I wrote a number of articles under “The Weed of The Week” heading. This column might be headed “The Weed of the Year.” From what I have seen in the fields, and from phone calls and texts I have received, kochia, which I have previously referred to as the scourge […] Read more
High nutrient prices need the right attention this year
Solid commodity prices are being undercut by higher fertilizer prices, but the right plan will preserve margins
If you haven’t talked with your fertilizer dealer for a while, you may want to be seated when you ask about prices. They have been moving up quickly since fall. For those of you who haven’t been able to put your fertilizer down last fall, take it into storage on-farm or pre-price it, this year […] Read more
Manage fields properly when removing them from forage
Taking a field out of forages is a decision that should first examine why it was put into a forage in the first place. If you bought or rented the field when it was already in grass or alfalfa, you may be in for a surprise. There were probably good reasons for the field being […] Read more
Cereals, yield and the 13.5 percent solution
Whether you know it or not, you will go through a nutrient plan; either on paper or in your mind. You will have just completed the harvest phase of your nutrient plan. A plan may look something like this. The evaluation phase may be confusing and difficult, because, as every farmer knows, every year is […] Read more
This is what I’ve learned from the last 12 months
This is the time of year when there is time to reflect back on the season that just wrapped up and try to take some lessons from what we did and what happened. Here are a few notes that I made. Wheat planted early, followed by three weeks of cold weather, will successfully germinate and […] Read more
